Should I clean my general yo bearing or keep thin lubing

Yo-Yo Mods and Maintenance
1

I’m scared and confused please help

2

What’s wrong with it?

3

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

If your bearing isn’t spinning up to par, clean it, then lube it if you want. If it’s too noisy, or viby, but spinning right, then lube it.

4

well it’s getting really responsive after like an hour but then i set it down for like a day and it’s fine. It might just be because it’s humid but thats it. I’m scared to clean cause I don’t want to ruin it.

5

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!!!

Unless it’s spinning slower, don’t bother cleaning. I never clean mine, maybe once every 6 months or so.

But there’s a very nice cleaning guide stickied in this section.

6

Are you thin lubing it often?

It may be too dry. My bearing have done that. They get abnoxiously loud then stop. Its pretty much a warning that it will get shot.

7

okay so… batryn… I’m asking if I should clean it because it is becoming responsive.

8

DO NOT CLEAN AIGR BEARINGS UNLESS NECESSARY!!! The bearing is made to not like being dry, you just need to lube it. After that it will stop with the noise and you will need to break it in again. It happens a lot but do not clean it. Cleaning can kill your bearing.

9

I really think you are giving false info here. Actually I know it. Other than the airg’s are suposed to be lubed, So are ALL other bearings. You see until YYF bought Central bearing co, There was NO bearing that was actually made for a yoyo. They were all made to have lube in them. Funny thing is some people have had bearings that are years old and have been cleaned at least 25 or more times. As long as you add a tiny bit of lube back to the bearing, cleaning won’t hurt it at all. I have e stock YYJ cheap bearing from years back that still spins for ever.

This DO NOT CLEAN YOUR BEARING nonsense has got to stop. I’ve been cleaning bearings since before most of you even thought about yoyoing. It’s ok. Really it is.

1 Like
10

There is always risk when you clean your bearing with Mineral Spirits and lighter fluid if you don’t know what you are doing. OP seems like he has never cleaned a bearing and with mineral spirits and lighter fluid you have to spin dry so the gunk doesn’t dry inside the bearing. I’m not saying that nobody should clean your bearing, I just think he shouldn’t. Especially with AIGR’s since you can usually just lube it and it comes back.

11

[quote=“Cameron (and his yoyo),post:10,topic:18345”]
You make it sound like if a bearing that has been cleaned in mineral spirits is allowed to sit, it will be ruined. That is false. Mineral spirits will evaporate very quickly if left out in the open. What “gunk” are you talking about? The reasons to be sure that your bearing has no mineral spirits left are if, 1. you plan to lube it - if there’s any mineral spirits left it will break down the lube; 2. you are putting the bearing in a plastic yoyo - the mineral spirits may damage plastic. That’s it. As Icthus said, this isn’t really something to be alarmist about. If your bearing is dirty or stops spinning well for whatever reason, there is no good reason not to clean it and relube it. Here’s how I do it:

  1. deshield the bearing
  2. drop in a plastic film canister
  3. add enough mineral spirits to cover the bearing
  4. put the lid on the canister
  5. slosh it around for a while (if the bearing is very dirty, I let it soak overnight)
  6. remove the bearing from the canister (I use needle nose pliers)
  7. wrap it in a piece of tissue and shake it out
  8. spin the bearing on the end of a pen with your finger until it’s dry
  9. add a drop of lube
  10. put it back in the yoyo (you can put the shields back on, but I find this to be a waste of time)

On the other hand, if your yoyo is playing well, there’s no good reason to muck around with the bearing.

12

[quote=“jrodriguez,post:11,topic:18345”]

Ernie told me how to clean bearings. He said mineral spirits will leave stuff behind if you let it dry. Thats why he finishes with acetone.

13

Cool. I’ll ask him what he meant the next time I see him to clarify this.

14

Ow, you can put it in a plastic canister? Doesn’t the miniral spirits break down the plastic? (even a tiny bit). I always use a little shot glass, but it don’t have a lid for it, so i cover it with my hand when I shake it…(which is really bad for your skin !)
It would be awesome if i could use a plastic lens case… or rest assured when using a plastic lid to cover the shot glass…

15

The deposits from mineral spirits will not effect the bearing for a long time. As a matter of fact I’ve washed the same bearing in my FHZ I’ve had for 5 years in mineral spirits. I’ve added a small amount of lube every time. Guess what happened to it. NOTHING. I can still get 4 minute spins on a FHZ. Trust me that is a long time for a zero. I have been cleaning yoyo bearings longer than earnie has been making yoyo’s. A lot longer. If you think it will kill a bearing by cleaning it then just don’t do it. Then when your bearing needs it you may as well buy another to replace it. Then you can that perfectly good bearing to me and I’ll clean it and use it for another few years.

Mineral spirits should be blown out of your bearing before you lube it. Compressed air for cleaning your keyboard is perfect to do this. Other than that there is nothing wrong with it.

You know what’s funny is that YYF cleans all their bearings before they send em out. Should the biggest metal maker not do that? I think they know what they are doing. The only thing they should do more is thin lube them and not run em dry.